The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 is a mid-range interchangeable lens camera sporting a 16MP Four Thirds sensor and 4K video capability. In markets outside of North America the GX85 is sold as the GX80; in Japan it is sold as the GX7 Mark II.

Sliding in directly below the flagship GX8, the GX85 is targeted toward enthusiast photographers and videographers. It doesn't use the new 20MP Four Thirds chip we saw in the GX8, instead it sticks with the familiar 16MP sensor used on many other Micro Four Thirds cameras. It also does not have the tilting EVF, weather-sealing or microphone input offered by the GX8.

Still, the GX85 shares many of its big brother’s features like 4K photo mode, Post Focus, Depth from Defocus AF, and Dual I.S.. It also has a redesigned shutter mechanism. Shutter-induced blur ('shutter shock') was an issue we encountered on the GX8, which used a motor and spring arrangement in its shutter mechanisms. The new electromagnetic shutter found in the GX85 resolves this problem.

The GX85 also has no anti-aliasing filter, a first for Panasonic cameras. This should lead to better detail retention at the pixel level, but can also lead to moiré. However, Panasonic claims that the new Venus Engine image processor is specially tuned to combat moiré and false color and in use, we've found that it does so pretty well.

Like the GX8, the GX85 offers Dual I.S., combining sensor-based image stabilization with lens-based IS. But unlike the GX8, which has 4-axis sensor IS, the GX85 offers 5-axis sensor IS with rotation correction. Another advantage over its big bro: the GX85 can also use Dual IS during 4K video capture, something that the GX8 cannot.

Compared to its peers

Panasonic GX85

Panasonic GX8

Panasonic GX7

Olympus PEN-F

Sony a6300

Sensor

16.0MP Four Thirds CMOS

20.3MP Four Thirds CMOS

16.0MP Four Thirds CMOS

20.3MP Four Thirds CMOS

24.0MP APS-C CMOS

Anti-aliasing filter

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Image stabilization

Sensor-shift (5-axis) + Dual I.S.

Sensor-shift (4-axis) + Dual I.S.

Sensor-shift (2-axis)

Sensor-shift (5-axis)

In-lens only

AF system

49-pt CDAF

49-pt CDAF

23-pt CDAF

81-pt CDAF

Hybrid AF (with 425 PDAF points)

Flash x-sync

1/160 sec

1/250 sec

1/320 sec

1/250 sec

1/160 sec

Burst rate(with C-AF)

6 fps

6 fps

5 fps

5 fps

11 fps

EVF res/type

2.76M-dot field sequential LCD

2.36M-dot tilting OLED

2.76M-dot tilting field sequential LCD

2.36M-dot fixed OLED

2.36M-dot fixed OLED

EVF magnification

0.7X

0.77x

0.7x

0.62x

0.7x

LCD type/res

3" tilting touch 1.04M-dot LCD

3" vari-angle touch 1.04M-dot OLED

3" tilting touch1.04M-dot LCD

3" vari-angle touch1.04M-dot LCD

3" tilting921.6k-Dot LCD

Built-in flash

Yes

No

Yes

No *

Yes

Video

2160/30p @ 100Mbps

2160/30p @ 100Mbps

1080/60p @ 28Mbps

1080/60p @ 77Mbps

2160/30p @ 100Mbps

Mic/headphone sockets

No / No

Yes / No

No / No

No / No

Yes / No

Weather-sealing

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Battery life

290 shots

330 shots

320 shots

330 shots

400 shots

Dimensions

122 x 71 x 44 mm

133 x 78 x 63mm

123 x 71 x 55mm

125 x 72 x 37mm

120 x 67 x 49 mm

Weight (CIPA)

426 g

487 g

402 g

427 g

404 g

* External flash included in box

It's arguable whether the GX85 should be called the little brother of the GX8 or the true replacement to the GX7. And the different regional naming conventions for the GX85 only add to the confusion. The chart above seems to give support to both ways of looking at it: the GX85 uses the same field sequential EVF as the GX7 (although it doesn't tilt), and what is presumably the same sensor (sans AA filter). And like the GX7, it lacks weather sealing and microphone/headphone ports but has a pop-up flash.

However, aside from its sensor and EVF, the GX85 also shares a lot of core components and specs with the GX8, such as its 49-point AF system, 4K video capture and 6 fps burst with AF. So whichever way you view the GX85, it certainly stacks up nicely to its Panasonic peers, as well as to the competition.

Part of the family: The GX85 (top) alongside its Lumix stablemates, the GX7 and GX8.

Pricing and availability

Kitted with the collapsible 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 zoom lens, the GX85/GX80 will run you $799/£599/€699. In the UK and Europe it's available body-only for £509/€599 and with both the 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 and a 35-100mm F4-5.6 for £729/€899.

Since the comparison with the Sony a6000 came up in the comments, is Sony making any effort to improve their battery performance? That seems to be the main complaint with their cameras. I very much like the fact that with adapters, I can use my Leica, Nikon, Canon, Minolta and Pentax lenses on a digital camera.

What is up with this image quality test ?Set it at JPG 1600 and then on the next pane select a GF6 (which has the same sensor as the 2011 GX1) ... now pan the image to the sponge (lower right, or upper left). Isn't the GF6 (or by induction the 2011 GX1) superior ?

I got a GX85 (actually GX80) to complement my GM5. Great camera, but I don't like it. It is heavy, twice the weight of the GM5, so it misses the point the GM5 made.It has some more features and is better in some aspects, but it is just not the camera I grab when I walk out the door. In addition, the GM5 is a great conversation starter.

Internal charging would be great... if you could use the camera while charging. At that point you could simply plug in a powerbank for long shootings (especially if shooting video), or for astrophotography. Though for that the camera is terrible anyway, because any exposure above 2 seconds will lead to a massive, and I mean massive amount of hot pixels. Even at ISO 200.

Guys, I have question. I am kind of new to shooting video. No experience at all. My question will be really dumb so please excuse me for it.

So I am considering this camera as my choice of shooting Video mainly because its small and lightweight and it also fits the bill. I should be getting it on June or so (After selling my DSLR and its lenses) Plus I like how it looks (rangefinder style).

So my question is: For shooting video, does the lack of a headphone jack really is a deal-breaker? And is the EVF issue really that distracting?

As an underwater photographer where maximum angle of coverage is very important I was disappointed that you did not make more prominence of the crop factor in 4k video with 5 axis and electronic stabilisation. As a GX7 user looking to upgrade (which I did after your review) I got the impression that the GX80 had no (or very little) crop factor but I was disappointed to find that there is almost 20% reduction in angle of coverage. Had I known that I would not have upgraded.

Hi, I recently bought a Panasonic GX80 / GX85. I’m experiencing some chromatic aberrations, noise or moiré, on black objects like metallic grilles, black plastics with texture and padded black parts of camera backpacks, both with natural or artificial light. I can see it very clearly when I zoom in the photo and sometimes no zoom in even needed. It gets worse at ISO around 1600 or 3200. I had before Olympus E-M5 II and E-M1 cameras, and never noticed this problem. Is anyone having the same problems? I updated the firmware to the latest version, and can´t find any proper regulation setting in the menu list that could help me to solve the problem. Help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I came from the Panasonic G7 and looking at the pics side by side there does seem to be some issues in the areas you mention. Comparing pics side by side I sometimes prefer the G7 pics. In some lighting conditions the gx80 looks sharper though maybe that's what is showing up these issues more.

In what way?In terms of IQ, it may not be. The larger sensor and higher resolution of a6000 may be better.In terms of usability and handling, it's a matter of preference and the majority would prefer the GX80/85.

Well I just got mine and I think it's my best camera-purchase ever! The viewfinder is great, i have absolutely no problems with it. The Ibis could be better, I only get around 2 stops longer shutter speeds before camera shake becomes obvious, but hey, it's a lot better then nothing, which is what Im used to. The sensor is virtually iso-less - which means that I get better results underexposing base-iso (200) then using the higher iso-range. Hm.. What else.. The shutter is so freakin quiet that I thought it was broken at first! My GOD! Its sooo smooth and soft! No real use for the electronic shutter any more, except for funerals maybe.. No I'm just gonna get the Pana 25mm f/1.7 to complete the experience :) Thank you Panasonic!

If I want to see the rainbow effect of the EVF, I can see it, but for me it is no "problem" at all. The really negative thing about the EVF is the poor quality of optics in front of it: I cannot see the middle and the edges sharply at the same time. I have to refocus with my eye strongly when looking e.g. from left to the middle to the right side of the picture. The VF of my OM-D 10 is perfect in this respect. Anybody the same problem? Or is the VF-optics broken?

I really like the specs of this camera but it is the viewfinder that stops me from purchasing it. I have the same problem as you, I call it tunnel vision as the centre seems sharp the the sides are not and even when I adjust the screen for my eye I still can't seem to get a sharp image.Went to look at a G80 as they have just come into the shops and the viewfinder is excellent on it but I was looking for something more rangefinder as I have EM1's so might just wait for another round of cameras.

I just stumbled on this comment now, but it does answer a question I had. I checked out the EVF on this camera in a shop a few weeks back, and noticed the problem you described straight away. Once I had the dioptre adjustment set to provide a sharp view in the center, the edges were fuzzy, and the white lettering of the exposure info at the bottom of the screen showed chromatic aberration too. I was wondering if this was a systemic problem, or if the demo model had had some rough handling - I guess now I know!

Very happy with this camera with the exception of updating the firmware to ver 1.1. I tried resetting and and followed the procedure correctly. Next I tried it with two other new cameras with no success.

The "studio scene" for the image quality segment of the review was shot with with the GX85 of course, but with an Olympus lens, a medium telephoto. I suggest that all these scenes be shot with the kit lens that comes with the camera, or at least a lens from the same manufacturer.

Is the in-body image stabiliser noisy like the stabiliser in the FZ1000? Apologies if this is answered but I couldn't find mention. Given the body has no mic jack, a noisy stabiliser would be a problem. Thanks.

Big surprise how sharp this GX85 is in comparison with larger sensor cameras. And this is coming from an owner of a Fuji XE2 and Nikon D7200. I think the only advantage APS-C and larger sensor cameras have is high iso/low performance in low light. I try to never go over 1600 but this camera seems pretty solid through 6400. With the advent of all of these f.95/f1.2 lenses and Speedboosters, the approach for low-light shooting with M43 is to have a fast lens instead of using high ISOs. I like that method much better. I use the remote app for selfie video which is not as convenient as a flippy screen but it works. The camera provides excellent video (I've rigged my own flat profile), and I plan to use with my old film lenses and Speedbooster to provide some nice bokeh in my photos & videos. Quick note: The camera is very responsive with no lag when using the menus or even during 4K photo selection. The screen is nicely visible in sunlight. Metering/WB=excellent. Focusing is superb!

Agree that the MFT solution viability is impressive. Most lenses are very good wide open, and the extra DoF is often valuable. To me one drawback is that nearly all the lenses that are fast enough to offset the sensor differences are primes. It's not like you have a lot of f/2 short zooms, f/2.8 medium telephoto zooms or f/4 longer zooms. So coming from a APS-C or FF perspective, not only do you lose 1 or 2 stops of sensor performance, the lens availability trends toward slower zooms (f/5.6 at the long end) for the most part. The speed booster solution seems a bit niche -- rather pricey, and seems more practical for someone who already owns the (Canon EF, etc.) glass.

..I rented the GX8 and took it on a cross country trip to Tucson. It was OK but not worth the money. Came home and bought a EM5 from B&H for $400. I still love my GX7 and use my EM5 as an alternative. I'm happy with these cameras. No need to buy another camera in my book.

Just picked up my GX85 body, which will be a 2nd body to supplement my GX8, allowing me to have 2 lenses available in situations where lens changes are risky. Also as a better fit to my really long 100-400 mm, without having to use the GX8's shutter-shock work-around of electronic shutter.

The camera itself is much as expected, and will undoubtedly "do the job".

BUT, Panasonic have really cheaped out (at least in Canada) by not providing a separate battery charger. Instead they include a wall wart and quite short USB cable, to charge batteries in the camera. This of course makes it impossible to use the camera while it is charging a battery, a process of several hours. I can't imagine it saves them any significant money, and really puts this body into the amateur class.

There are after-market chargers available, but really, given the price of the body, should one have to spend even more for the convenience of using a camera while charging another battery!

Regarding the battery charger - - I felt the same way and later realized the GX85 can do something the others can not. There are two ways to charge it. I find the USB charging to be very handy. When traveling l can leave the charger at home and use my phone charger for both devices.

David, since I am the only one that mentioned counting grams, I figure you ask me the question about the GX80...

I don't really know much about a GX80. I carry a dSLR and tote even a tripod.

Carrying the dSLR and a reasonably sturdy tripod, rather than the lightest one imaginable, does not present a conflict with 'counting grams' :^)

I carry weight but try to distribute the weight so that it falls in the category important to me. Rather than carrying an extra pair of shoes for going out on the town, I carry an extra lens. When I select the lens or tripod head, I buy the lightest I determine to be 'fit for [my] purpose'. :^)

Absolutely agree. I think this is the first camera I've ever bought that didn't come with a charger. When I opened the box and didn't find one, I thought at first that it had been pilfered, or accidentally left out.I bought a cheesy aftermarket charger, which works OK, but it doesn't make me feel great about Panasonic. It's even worse than selling a $1500 lens and then charging $60 for a lenshood.

This camera is now heavily discounted and I have bought one !What a surprise to find these comments I had forgotten I made.

* * * I will add this :

A major downside I now realize is that the device being charged must be left on a table or counter in a hotel room. When traveling, I may leave a charger and battery plugged in while I hunt food or water but I am not thrilled to leave a camera itself out & tethered to the USB charger... Of course, I realize this argument doesn't apply to everyone !

Also, while "one external USB charger to rule them all!!!!" sounds attractive, I disagree with this in a practical sense. If I had multiple devices (phone, book reader, GX85, etc) that promise me they will not require charging at the same time, then great. Practically, though, I charge all at the end of the day and will have to carry multiple USB chargers and cables to charge devices concurrently. So, I find little reduction in bulk & weight...

Since it It lacks- microphone input- remote control socket and- cannot control an off camera flash by itself

All these things are covered by the G6 for 300 EUR, which I use and like - despite the shutter shock issues.

So the GX85 is for the occassional walk in the park shooter only?!Quite a dissapointing overall package.

GX1 and GX7 have the remote shutter release socket at least and flash on GX7 works as master as well. The Wifi-App is not a replacement for the remote shutter socket, as it drains battery on 2 devices and you cannot hook your 100m reach RF release to it nor the infra-red motion trigger thing I have. o(

I hate how manufacters exchange features from cam to cam, you will never be able to buy the perfect camera it seems. o(

It certainly is for people who consider 4/3 a back-up / second camera...

I bought it discounted to replace an Olympus EPL-6This GX85 has a second control wheel (both positioned better than the one on EPL-6), view finder, higher resolution video, on-board flash that I may use.....

I use 4/3 because the camera with fisheye weighs less than a fisheye lens alone for my other larger format camera. Plus, I just leave the fisheye on the 4/3 camera all the time and it is ready to go.

The additional weight and size of the GX85 does offset the gains of the smaller EPL-6 but still no lens changes :^)

How well can this stand up to the Nikon D500 for action shots. I realize the D500 is far larger and far more expensive. My primary use is the most challenging subjects possible. I'm of course talking about fast moving children. From reading the reviews, both have excellent action tracking both have face detection but it's difficult to tell from the reviews how these models compare. I'd love to use it for soccer games as well but that's a small percentage of my needs. Mostly I want to be able to grab it and catch a moment instantly of children in motion and have a high in-focus hit rate.

Different class and price range really where Nikon's D500 ability to track and keep your target continuously in focus is one of the best, if not the best currently available. As for shooting sports/fast moving subjects on micro 4/3 I copy paste my comment below -

As for shooting sports on micro 4/3 you have to develop certain technique and it is doable. I found the best technique for me is to use single AF, because the speed of the single AF focus aquisition is so fast on micro 4/3 nowadays. Shoot in continous shooting at max. speed the camera manages i.e. 6 fps etc. Selected the right size of focus point for the task. Now, because the shutter lag is so low nowadays you can actually be the one who is tracking, engaging focus when needed and firing when action occurs or when you anticipate an action. Because of the increased depth of field on micro 4/3 cameras you have a better margin for slight focusing error if objects moves slightly away from point of focus acquisition. Buffer cleaning speed and depth is great on GX80, so you can keep firing batches of different lengths.

Different type of cameras. The GX80 is a mid-range mirrorless, aimed for amateurs who want something more but can't afford a high-end camera. Due to its size and features, it is a perfect day-to-day companion as a travel/urban camera. Heck, it is such a good all-rounded that people will do landscapes and portraits fine with it -especially paired with descent glass.

The D500 is a "no-compromise" high-end camera. It is aimed for professionals, thus the nearly triple price. It is design for people who want to do sports akin to Euro or Formula 1 or who do wildlife photography. It is rugged, weathersealed, designed to be used at the worst conditions or even mishandled by its user. Alongside with a descent Nikkor lens it will cost more, weight more, and be bulkier. Not ideal if you want it as a "carry with you camera".

As Vit suggested, in m4/3 with some practice you can do sports. Ultimately the decision is yours, but I wouldn't get a D500 for kids' soccer.

Another alternative is the Olympus E-M1 or the Panasonic GH4. They sit in the middle between the GX80 vs D500 and you can get either cheap on eBay nowadays. The E-M1 with the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens will give you plenty of keepers! ;-)

Fast moving kids and occasional sports the Sony a6X00 cameras are really nice. Super fast AF and a zoom tele lens that is a real bargain in a bundle. Add the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 (yes,1.4) for indoor/lowlight action-it's a great lens.

I don't understand why people say that the lack of a mic input makes this camera "not serious for video". Those same people, once they get the mic input, will cry about the lack of a headphone output to monitor the audio. Then when they finally get both, they realize they need an external recorder anyway because the pre-amp on their camera is incredibly noisy. Don't believe me? Listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oZp_k7AmXs

If you want the best audio for cheap, use a lav mic connected to a smartphone. If you really want something to put on your hotshoe, you can always mount an H1. Syncing audio is trivial in this day and age, so don't discount a camera because of the lack of mic input. Instead, recognize that the lack of a mic input forces you to get a better audio setup.

Really? It is called GX7 in Japan, but replaces an older GX7 here... I thought up until now there was a lot of retardation in nomenclature, but this sets a new standard in stupidity. They could have called it GX75 and had much less confusion.

You do not follow the Panasonic compact world obviously. Panasonic's policy is to cause total maximum confusion as to which model people are talking about in different parts of the world and you have the TZ80 being the same as the ZS60 and the new 1" being the TZ100/ZS100 and then what happens with the iterations of the TZ80/ZS60 catching up with the entirely different TZ100/ZS100 line of cameras which by then will probably have entirely different number suffixes by the time that happens.No new standard but business as usual in the Panasonic Department of Name Obfuscation.

@Mike FLThanks for the link. I was a bit disappointed that the TZ100 was the same number as the ZS100 but renumbering the TZ100 to TZ110 in Australia is classic Panasonic and adds to the fun of anticipating the hopefully glorious confusion when the 1/2.3" and 1" models collide. It looks now that the ILC users can join in the excitement too.There is probably a sign on the wall in every Panasonic office saying "If they all know what camera they are talking about you know you've failed".

Great review, thanx DPReview. I have the camera since 2 weeks, and I have to say it is a joy to use. It is fast. Fast-fast. Now my EM-1 seems even more sluggish: it is not just the focus (GX85 is snappier in single focus mode basically with all lenses), but the general handling of the camera: buttons and dials are really responsive, image preview is snappy. Low light focus is also definitely better than the EM-1 (and the A7RII :) ).If I have to, then I would mention the complicated menu system and the "plastic feel" as negative, but nothing serious. The EVF in 3:2 mode is rather small, but I don`t see this too critical.If I could propose 1 change, then for sure I would ask Pana to take over the Sony implementation of the eye-AFA: it is really great to have face/eye-focus on a dedicated button.

The EM5 ii is however almost twice the price of the GX80 (in the UK anyway) and the pen-f is about 3x the money. And the IBIS on the GX80 is only fractionally 'worse', unless you use stabilised lenses too then it's essentially the same (reviews seem to vary slightly on this, but the difference is minimal). For the money, the GX80 really does have a lot of great features.

HAs it been confirmed that the difference between the GX85 and the EM5ii is one stop? I've seen reviews that say that, and I've seen videos that show the GX85 one is better, and I've seen reviews that say they're basically the same. (When using panasonic lenses with OIS, I mean).

I know the EM5ii is one stop better than the EM10ii. But the comparison between the EM5ii and the GX85 seems to vary depending on what lens you use and who is holding the camera.

I think you might be getting some results mixed up, since the Panasonic can exhibit a dual identity due to it's mix of IBIS + OIS when the latter is present. (Oly does that too but only with the 300mm f4 so that's something of a fringe case, and that lens has far better OIS then the PanaLeica 100-400)

From what I've seen most reviews seem to indicate that when you're using a Panasonic lens with IS they're fairly close, it might still vary a little as not every lens' OIS is equally good but still... However if you're using a prime sans OIS (or an Oly zoom, or Panasonic's own 7-14) then Oly's best IBIS implementation is still a stop or two ahead.

Fair enough, I've just never seen a review or test that confirms it. Two stops in particular seems rather a lot, as Oly IBIS usually only gives around 4 stops anyway. I wouldn't know how to test this to be honest, not without some kind of consistant vibrating table to put the camera on. The only test I've seen that used this kind of table, showed the GX80 stabilisation being better than the Olympus, which is why it all seems a bit subjective.

Also I wasn't getting the results mixed up, I specifically mentioned that I was referring to dual-IS.

Would anybody recommend the GX85 for journalism work? I am an assistant photo editor at my college, and I shoot some sports and events. Also, how is the kit lens? Kind of disappointing that you can't buy it body only.

- For "Sports":Normally, the best tool is NOT mirrorless, but Cankon. For small mirrorless, the best camera is SONY a6300 b/c:- The fastest and the best AF system- Double the Burst rate of of this Pana in C-AF- Continuous shooting without blackout

- For "events" Other than PROs listed above, a6300 sensor has better low light IQ than any MFT cameras

- For video:In the old days, Pana has better video, but a6300's video is noticeably better than GX8 per DPR. BTW, a6300 has MIC input.

A6300 is the dream, it looks perfect...EXCEPT, the lens selection. Yes, it's Getting larger, but the lenses that seemWorth buying are pretty expensive. I'm A college student on a college budget. TheA6300 and 70-200 f4 is drool-worthy, but Over 2 grand, and I don't see any worthy lensesIn my price range.

Well, Sony A6300 is double the price as well. As for shooting sports on micro 4/3 you have to develop certain technique and it is doable. I found the best technique for me is to use single AF, because the speed of the single AF focus aquisition is so fast on micro 4/3 nowadays. Shoot in continous shooting at max. speed the camera manages i.e. 6 fps etc. And selected the right size of focus point for the task. Now, because the shutter lag is so low nowadays you can actually be the one who is tracking, engaging focus when needed and firing when action occurs or when you anticipate an action. Because of the increased depth of field on micro 4/3 cameras you have a better margin for slight focusing error if objects moves slightly away from point of focus acquisition. Buffer cleaning speed and depth is great on GX80, so you can keep firing batches of different lengths.

Depending on the sport you shoot you may need different lenses and approaches. I really liked shooting tennis with Sigma 60 DN 2.8 (120mm equivalent). You can shoot this Sigma wide open and the results are really good, I think I got great results with Panasonic G6 and Olympus M10 a looking forward to do the same with GX80. I got Panasonic budget compact zoom 45-150 which works with Panasonic DUAL IS and it is really a pleasure to shoot with it. I have done just few shots so far but I like it very much. Some samples here, tennis is with Sigma 60 DN, rest Panasonic 45-150.

The A6000 & A6300 mentioned on above are good. However, it has a major constraint that it has a limitation of 30mins of video. The worst is that it will over heat before the 30mins limit and it will takes awhile to cool down completely. Of course, if you don't care about video or you will not hit to those limit, it is a very good camera (both Still and Video).

At the end it boils down to 3 questions (with my understanding of "journalism work"):1. How big will you print, how important is +1-2 stop low light performance advantage for you?2. How important is shallow depth-of-field important for you? 3. What lenses do you plan to use? -> How many kilos do you want to carry?

The GX85 is a perfect companion if you don`t plan huge prints, bookeh is not the most important and prefer to travel light.

@ardenclark56, if you are complaining about lens prices, your best option might be a used camera. I've seen some used FF cameras going for pretty cheap these days, you can keep your eyes peeled for a camera and lens kit. You won't need a high MP count if you have a sharp lens and won't need to crop your photos much.

I remember my college years... and I miss them!This is my recommendations:

Canon 7D used (around $500-600 used) but only good for day time sports... The high iso kinda sucks for today's standard... Get a used Canon 70-200 f4L (again around $500-600 used). I know you can buy a off brand 70-200 2.8 for around that much, but the Canon's AF is much faster! Make sure to get a 17-40 F4 as well! You will love it for journalism!For events, use a flash! If you are planning to shoot outdoor night games... this set up might not work that well... I have a Panasonic GX8 and Sony a6000, but continuous focus really sucks on them... Good luck!

Using the tool on the Video & Features section, when choosing GX85 vs. LX100: the GX85 looks mushy in comparison (it's more pronounced when selecting 4K). It's noticeable on the paint tubes, the print can't be read on them.

Is this due to the kit lens included with the GX85 or is this inherent to the camera? Or is it more that the LX100 is so sharp?

xi5 Thx! I see the 4k drop down now, including the full screen version. Apparently there are different widget versions, the one I linked is ver=105 and the newer one is 369. Good to know 4k comparison tool exists. Compared to LX100 (and GX8), GX85 appears to be softer but I think it's due to the less a contrasty setting. Resolutionwise GX85 definitely is weaker than a6300 in 4k, not even close (although the latter suffers from other issues). A bit disappointed, I was about to get it but this plus the JPEG rendering (arcs in yellow have severe jigsaw) give me pause. Hopefully FW updating will fix issues with the new Venus engine.

I never ever post to dpreview although I've been an avid reader since the very beginning. Anyhow, I just wanted to chime in that I'm super impressed with this GX-85 and now have two that I use professionally along with my Omd-em5 mk2 and my Nikons. Yes the Nikons have some advantages in certain situations, but I'm thinking of selling my D4 bodies as they prett much stay relegated to ballast in my camera bag recently. Here's a link to the first wedding I brought the GX-85 on. I only shot jpegs on the camera since Lightroom couldn't yet convert the Raws, but it did a great job. Will be using them again tonight...

You can check smart phones lab results, they are far from sharpness. Larger sensors have advantage of less diffraction, but they have shallow depth of field. This panasonic managed to get the same sharpness as D4, this is the first with 3/4 system.

Something is wrong with 1080p video stills comparison:"Camera settings:Olympus m.Zuiko 45mm F1.81080/30p (85 Mbps)Aperture: f/5.6Manual WB"This is a very strange bitrate for FullHD - 85Mbps (there is simply no such bitrate option in official specs). Can any of the actual owners check crispiness/resolution of FullHD footage?Looks like this section needs revision.

The one clear advantage of the Panasonic GX85 over the Sony A6300 is that the GX85 doesn't overheat in video mode! It is a fantastic little video camera, especially with the in body stabilization. I am having a blast with it for 4K video.

I have both the Panasonic GX85 and the Sony A6300. So far I have relegated the A6300 to stills use only.

I am still deciding if I will keep the A6300 for casual stills use. I still need my DSLR system, especially for wildlife stills (with long lenses) and for event stills.

The only saving grace is that both the GX85 and A6300 can use Canon lenses with good auto focus, IS, and in body aperture control via adapters (Kipon and Metabones, respectively.) That keeps down the cost of the proprietary lens kits, especially on the Sony side.

A6300 "records 4K internally using the XAVC-S codec and it does this using a Super35 section of the sensor with a full pixel readout, without any pixel binning. It then takes the resulting near 6K image and oversamples the information to create the 4K image. " per others.

Can you read? The OP is the author of the review. Everything that follows is discussion of the pros and cons of the GX85. Further, I wasn't even talking to you. I responded to mmurph, who wrote "the one clear advantage", not "the one clear VIDEO advantage.I wasn't changing the topic.Jeez.

@Mike FL:The specs given for the brands are always impressive, but as you know not always the specs in real world mean that are the best option. Panasonic is one of the best brands in video. You can see many video comparisons between these cameras, but you can't see large IQ differences. Maybe the A6300 has the edge in crispness at 4k, but without any of the very expensive lens from Sony (Zeiss) you lose this "advantage", if you use adapters, then you need stabilization rig to get similar results. A6300 with good IBIS and good and less expensive native lens could be unbeatable.

Panasonic seem to be turning out lots of nice, functional, easy to use all-rounders. I tend to recommend them a lot to friends and family looking for a compact but good quality camera. The good lens range with lots of affordable options and adapters is a real bonus.

In fact, I don't think I have recommended any other brand for a while now. I'm a huge Fuji fan, but even I fully admit that the terms 'all rounder' and 'Fuji' don't really mix. A little experience and effort is required, and a definite preference for stills over video. Most people don't have such clear cut preferences.

It's the difference between a camera that most people would really like (Panasonic), and one that some people will totally adore and others will find frustrating (Fuji).

And a much under-sold virtue of M43 is the fact that the 4:3 aspect ratio is perfect for most iPads, which I suspect is the preferred viewing medium for many users.

A6300 has clear advantages, but not at the same price tag. Anyway, you can compare A6300 with GX85 and depending on use the GX85 could be much better option. If you want best budget, forget Sony. For adapted lens having IBIS is a good pro. Medium-high quality lens for E-Mount are absurdly expensive. For me, if you want a step forward in IQ, the best option isn't A6300 but one of A7 family. If you could pay the e-mount lens, you can afford A7 body.

I do not think "Battery charger not included" is an real CON, why? b/c if "Battery charger not included", the battery can be charged inside of the camera.

I use $20 Watson charger which has:- an USB output, - can be powered by car outlet- the battery plates can be changed for different kind battery

I can charge two battery same time, one is inside of the camera via charger's USB while other is in the charger. Otherwise, you have to bring two chargers, or wake up in the mid of the night to charge another battery while traveling.

I agree. I use the Samsung NX1 and I don't see lack of external battery charger as a big deal. I find the convenience of being able to charge via USB (even using a portable battery pack if necessary) as a much bigger plus. I then purchased 2 batteries with an external charger for about $25 on Amazon

Charger should be supplied for any camera regardless the price. One can not shoot too many photos with one charge and at least a second and third battery is a must ;-) ...using the camera's connection (in fact the camera as it were a charger, at night, preparing to charge 3-4 batteries for the next day) too many times could destroy the socket easier.

I tend to change several batteries when ever I go out with my m4/3 camera... but even so having in-camrea charging is a nice feature. What if you leave your charger somewhere or want to charge a couple of batteries at one time (one in the charger and one int he camera)? I still think that leaving out a charger is cheap... the selling point ought to be that you can charge the thing either way and that it comes with everything to do that. On that subject, I really think that all of these cameras ought to come with chargers that work with cars too...

Mike, I understand what you've said, now understand my position: All interchangeable lens cameras should ship with a battery charger. Internal charging is a nice feature but not an adequate replacement for a physical charger. Happy Friday.

Does the in-camera charging act as an AC-adapter or enable connecting to an external battery pack? If so, that would be great for time-lapse much longer than the few hours that a single battery would last.

Here is DPR's review of XT10: when it comes to continuous AF, it's really only single point AF-continuous in the central portion of the frame that Fujifilm excels at, and you'll be better served by more advanced subject tracking in competitors if that's something you're looking for. Also sounds like its burst buffer size is very small. How do you feel about it with real life experience? Does it ever bother you?

Having reviewed both, I can say without hesitation that they handle like very different cameras. If you're after a purists' experience, and you want a camera that is going to inspire you to make beautiful stills, go for the XT10. If you're after versatility, you can't go wrong with the GX85. But yes, the Panasonic beats the pants of the Fuji when it comes to AF and video. The Fuji does have lovelier JPEGs.

DPR, great review. But, why there is no burst buffer chart this time? Is GX85 good on this front? Also, comparing new camera features such as AF and image quality to its predecessor of course is useful for people considering upgrading. But for people who are new to the market or considering switching brand, it is better to have some comparison with its real competitors such as Olympus, Sony and Fujifilm's similar offerings. For example, after reading the review, I still have no clue how GX85's AF compare to Sony A6000/A6300 in different light conditions :(

Looking at the studio test scene compared to the gx8 the gx85 is bleached out in the highlight and generally looks flatter. When looking at the detail of the paper money it renders quite well as does the grey lead drawing of the old man, but still the gx8 image although not as fine it looks warmer and deeper in contrast. I can't wait for the gx9 with the same shutter features of the gx85 but a 20+mp count, audio input.

This has been a constant question since the camera was released...will IBIS work in video with a non-stabilized lens? It seems the answer is happily "Yes!", but that should be spelled out clearly in every review.

I think that reviewers get so focused on the hot new dual-IS in video that they forget to mention that standalone IBIS has also (finally) been enabled. And this is very good news for those of us shooting with some of the great Olympus lenses!

Yes, it is interesting how some reviewers think Dual-IS is the important feature, while it is only providing a bit better stabilisation to an already stabilized lens. The big news is of course that Panasonic finally managed to develop a competitive IBIS for stills and video, which works for any lens lacking built-in OIS, like those from Olympus or adapted ones. There is only one other camera line, the much more expensive Sony A7R/S II, which have 4K video stabilized by IBIS.

It is also remarkable, and I don't see any appreciation for that in this review, that Panasonic is introducing its breakthrough developments (IBIS and shutter) in a midrange enthusiast model. Compare that to Sony, which reserves new features for the high end (4K for A6300, IBIS for FF) and the midrange gets abandoned.

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